Olalekan Adetayo, Abuja
The embattled Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, on Tuesday announced his resignation from the ruling All Progressives Congress, citing the party’s decision to disqualify him from participating in the June 22 governorship primary as his reason for leaving.
He, however, came down hard on the party’s National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, whom he accused of being behind his ordeal.
Obaseki spoke with State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The governor has been having a running battle with Oshiomhole, who is also his predecessor in office.
The disagreement reached its peak on Friday when the screening committee set up by the party disqualified Obaseki and two others from contesting the governorship primary while it cleared three other aspirants for the race.
Although the governor refused to appeal the outcome, the appeal committee also on Saturday upheld the screening committee’s decision.
Speaking at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday, the governor announced his resignation from the party, saying he did not know whether it was good news or not.
When the governor was asked if there are indeed inconsistencies in his credentials which was the basis for his disqualification, he replied, “Someone who hasn’t gone to school, who doesn’t have certificate himself, will not know and understand what inconsistencies in certificates are. That is the starting point.
“What is the inconsistency? There is no inconsistency in my certificates. The issue was in 2016 when I contested for the governorship election. I could not find the originals of my certificates because I hadn’t required them for more than two decades.
“So, I deposed to an affidavit that I couldn’t find the originals. Subsequently, I found all the original copies of all my certificates and they are with me. So I don’t understand what is inconsistent about that.
“Maybe the inconsistency in the National Youth Service Corps certificate where he said an ‘i’ was missing at the end of my surname. But if you look at that, it was like a cursive, it was written in a cursive manner. So, if that’s inconsistency for him, then it’s really sad that people of that quality are leading Nigeria’s ruling party.
“For him, it was just to look for an excuse to take whatever decision he wants to take and it’s really sad that the party structure today gives him that sort of authority without checks. That is dangerous for any system or institution.
“When you give authority and responsibility to people who don’t have character, people who do not have finesse and a sense of justice, then that institution is imperiled.”
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